Iranian officials warned of cuts to drinking supplies for parts of Tehran, as the country grapples with a deepening water crisis caused by a yearslong drought.
The warnings on November 8 came a day after President Masud Pezeshkian said the Iranian capital might have to be evacuated if the situation continues to worsen.
"Water rationing should have started much earlier," Reza Hajikarim, head of the Iranian Water Industry Federation, said on state television. "Currently, 62 percent of Tehran's water is supplied from underground sources, and the level of these aquifers has dropped."
Energy Minister Abbas Ali Abadi signaled that officials would move to ration water supplies in some Tehran districts, likely on a rotating basis.
"This will help avoid waste even though it may cause inconvenience," Abadi said on state television.
Issa Bozorgzadeh, a spokesman for the water industry, said the situation has reached a point where "we are forced to impose restrictions on the amount of consumption."
"If consumption is not reduced by 10 percent, disruption to Tehran's sustainable water supply is certain," he said.
Iran's water crisis stems mainly from reduced rainfall and a drought that is now in its fifth year.
But some experts also blame excessive reliance on aquifers and years of waste and inefficient management, especially in agriculture.
